Aaron Hill hit a three-run homer, John Buck and Travis Snider added solo drives and the Blue Jays gave their retiring manager a winning send-off in his home finale, beating the Yankees 8-4 on Wednesday night.

"What a way to go out," said Gaston, who was showered with beer and water by his players after the game.

The struggling Yankees, who have lost six of eight, remained a half-game behind Tampa Bay in the AL East race. The Rays lost 2-0 to Baltimore.

Alex Rodriguez homered for the Yankees, giving him 13 straight years with 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

Toronto leads baseball with 247 home runs, the fifth-highest season total in major league history. Seattle hit a record 264 in 1997.

Hill drove in four runs as the Blue Jays won for the sixth time in seven games. The Yankees, already assured a playoff spot, saw Javier Vazquez (10-10) get tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 4.2 innings.

Brett Cecil (14-7) allowed three runs and nine hits in 5.1 innings to win his third straight outing. He is 11-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 15 starts against AL East opponents.

Jason Frasor worked 1.2 innings and Shawn Camp pitched the eighth for Toronto. Kevin Gregg came on after the first two batters reached against Jesse Carlson in the ninth. Gregg gave up an RBI grounder to Rodriguez, then got Robinson Cano to fly to center for the final out.

Rodriguez has 123 RBI. His 14 seasons with 30 home runs and 100 RBI are the most in major league history.

Hank Aaron holds the record with 15 seasons with at least 30 home runs. Rodriguez and Barry Bonds are tied for second with 14.

Gaston was honored in a 30-minute pregame celebration featuring former players George Bell, Joe Carter, Pat Hentgen and Devon White. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thanked the fans for their support, and the crowd of 33,143 gave him several standing ovations.

"I was certainly trying to hold it back but I think all the different things that were said out there, you just can't hold that back after a while," Gaston said. "I was just feeling that you try to do the best job you can at all times, but when you find out that you touched that many people's lives, and it's all for the good, how can you hold it back?"

Outfielder Jose Bautista, who has flourished under Gaston and leads the majors with 52 home runs, said he enjoyed the outpouring of gratitude.

"It shows he's a loved man in this town," Bautista said. "He brought two championships to this city. He's an icon in Toronto baseball. It was great seeing all the support he was getting from the fans and the love there is for him here. It was awesome."

The first black manager to win the World Series, Gaston guided the Blue Jays to consecutive championships in 1992 and 1993. He managed Toronto through 1997, was hitting coach in 2000 and 2001 and returned as manager in June 2008.

Toronto star Vernon Wells complimented Gaston on his trademark mustache during the speeches. After the ceremony ended, many Blue Jays and coaches used eye black to draw fake mustaches on their faces.

Most players found the eye black uncomfortable on their upper lip and wiped it off after an inning or two, but Snider stuck with it longest.

"He had a home run and then another hit," Bautista said. "He was rolling with it."

The Blue Jays' total home attendance for the season was 1,625,555. That's their lowest total since 1982, when they drew 1,275,978.

Once the game began, Snider got the Blue Jays rolling with a leadoff drive to right in the first, his 13th and second in as many games.

Buck hit his 20th homer in the second, becoming the sixth Toronto player to reach the mark this season. John McDonald followed with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Snider's single.

Toronto added one in the fourth when Hill scored on McDonald's grounder, then pulled away in the fifth when Hill hit his 26th home run.

Hill's drive spelled the end for Vazquez, who started in place of Andy Pettitte after New York clinched a playoff berth by beating Toronto 6-1 on Tuesday.

Vazquez was disappointed not to do more to make a case for his inclusion on the playoff roster.

"Today was an important day for me personally and it didn't go well," Vazquez said.

The Yankees chased Cecil with a three-run sixth. Rodriguez homered and Francisco Cervelli and Greg Golson hit RBI singles. Frasor came on and escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting Nick Swisher to ground into a double play.

Hill made it 8-3 with an RBI single off Joba Chamberlain in the seventh.

Playoff rotation in limbo: Manager Joe Girardi would only commit to CC Sabathia, the Game 1 starter, in discussing the Yankees' playoff rotation. Girardi probably hasn't decided for certain anyway without knowing the team's opponent and corresponding matchups. What he does know is that Sabathia, who went 81⁄3 innings on Tuesday, won't pitch again before the playoffs start on Wednesday. A.J. Burnett (10-15, 5.33 ERA) starts on Saturday and could be auditioning for work in the playoffs. It wasn't long ago when Girardi spoke highly of Burnett. But another batch of bad Burnett outings has left Girardi tongue-tied. “We need him,'' Girardi told mlb.com. “A.J. has been a big part of our success last year and we need him to get right. Saturday, I'm looking forward to a good start.'' So are Yankee fans. But Burnett has had an odd year on and off the mound. He hurt his hand during an in-game tantrum, and more recently mysteriously showed up to the yard sporting a black eye. Burnett wouldn't provide any details on how he got the shiner. But his pitching has done plenty of talking, and the word appears to be that last year's postseason rotation of Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Burnett will be missing a certain right-hander this time, at least in the division series. Phil Hughes appears to have the edge over Burnett. Girardi said Hughes will get some work in one of the games in Boston. Girardi said the team's place in the standings could help determine Sunday's starter.

Pettitte moved to Friday: Andy Pettitte will have one more opportunity to polish his game on Friday in Boston. Pettitte, originally scheduled to start the finale against Toronto, instead will face the Red Sox. He was moved to Friday to open the playoffs at or near regular rest. It will be Pettitte's third start since returning from the disabled list on Sept. 18. The Yanks used mostly their regular lineup a day after clinching a playoff berth on Tuesday. The only sub in the starting lineup was Greg Golson in center field for Curtis Granderson. Golson batted ninth. Girardi's lineup served as a reminder that the Yanks are still chasing the division title. Girardi figures his regulars will get ample time off Monday and Tuesday leading to Wednesday's opener.

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